Keeping right

[Steilsteven]

On 08/03/2022 at 11:02, Derek R. said:

 

There are a few reasons given, though most will come down to those on horse would be right handed (in the main) and passing to the left of an opponent gave the right hand wielding a sword a better chance of landing a blow. Knights jousting, would ride on the left with the lance in the right hand and arm. The first Such 'jousing' matches had been held on the Scottish Borders as a way of releasing tensions between England and Scotland.  One such was held in 1390 on London Bridge between the champion of England, Lord John Welles, and the champion of Scotland, Sir David de Lindesay. The event was a spectacle that thousand thronged to see, the two parties charging one another three times, until eventually Lord Welles was unseated. Though injured, he did recover. Sir David tending his opponent at the scene. (The 'Old' bridge with all the shops houses and chapel on). Lasted over 600yrs that did. Cost of maintenance and congestion saw its demise.

 

But in 1722 a decision was made to enforce traffic (both foot and carriage) with the rule to cross the bridge on the left. Those coming into the City to keep to the West side of the bridge, those leaving the City to the East side. The Common Council, led by Lord Mayor Sir Gerard Conyers passed the 'keep to the left law', which would one day be taken up throughout Britain and a number of countries around the World from Australia to Japan.

'Old London Bridge' by Patricia Pierce.

 

Which begs another question: Why do so many countries in the World drive on the right?

 

The lance was held by the right hand but the knights rode on the right in a tournament, otherwise their balance would be all wrong.

 

Keith

[MtB]

But why is his horse wearing a dress? 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

36 minutes ago, MtB said:

But why is his horse wearing a dress? 

 

 

You mustn't ask questions like that any more 

[Derek R.]

The lance was held by the right hand but the knights rode on the right in a tournament, otherwise their balance would be all wrong.

 

Keith

 

No wonder I was no good at it . . . .

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, Derek R. said:

The lance was held by the right hand but the knights rode on the right in a tournament, otherwise their balance would be all wrong.

 

Keith

 

No wonder I was no good at it . . . .

Good job there were no left handed ones

[nicknorman]

On 08/03/2022 at 15:16, Ronaldo47 said:

Thanks  for the correction, I knew it was one of the Scandinavian  countries. 

 

I recall reading that the Channel Islands switched to driving on the right during  the Nazi occupation. 

Myanmar drove on the left until 1970, now on the right. Which is unfortunate because many of the vehicles are right hand drive. Including the busses. So when you alight from a bus, it is straight into the flow of traffic, not the pavement. Somewhat alarming!

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Myanmar drove on the left until 1970, now on the right. Which is unfortunate because many of the vehicles are right hand drive. Including the busses. So when you alight from a bus, it is straight into the flow of traffic, not the pavement. Somewhat alarming!

They are still using buses from before 1970?

[DHutch]

On 07/03/2022 at 19:07, Puffling said:

Colregs, innit?

International waterways. 

[Athy]

20 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Myanmar drove on the left until 1970, now on the right. Which is unfortunate because many of the vehicles are right hand drive. Including the busses. So when you alight from a bus, it is straight into the flow of traffic, not the pavement. Somewhat alarming!

Thank goodness no one knows where it is.

They make nougat there, don't they?

[nicknorman]

19 hours ago, David Mack said:

They are still using buses from before 1970?

Probably some, yes. But I think they also got a bulk delivery of busses from Japan about 10 years ago, special price but they were all right hand drive!

[nicknorman]

2 hours ago, Athy said:

Thank goodness no one knows where it is.

They make nougat there, don't they?

Well I know where it is because we went on holiday there before the latest coup. But of more interest is the border between Thailand and Myanmar at Tachileik, it’s a bridge over a fairly small river. On one side, the Thais drive on the left and 50 yds further on, the Burmese drive on the right. So when driving over the bridge one somehow has to change sides, with opposite direction vehicles also needing to change sides. It’s a sight to behold!

[john6767]

One that surprised me when we were there a few years ago is the US Virgin Islands who drive on the left.  Most of the cars are left hand drive though, having been imported from the US.

[MtB]

3 hours ago, Athy said:

Thank goodness no one knows where it is.

They make nougat there, don't they?

 

Parading your ignorance of world politics is frankly, just embarrassing.

 

It used to be called "Burma" until a few years ago. Let's hope you recognise that.

 

(Let's hope I'm right too, lol!) 

[Athy]

10 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Parading your ignorance of world politics is frankly, just embarrassing.

 

It used to be called "Burma" until a few years ago. Let's hope you recognise that.

 

(Let's hope I'm right too, lol!) 

I don't feel embarrassed in the slightest, but then I was, as I'm sure you realised, joking.

I was interested to note that the adjective "Burmese" is still in use (as per NN, anyway). A bit like the Persian Gulf, I suppose.

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

I don't feel embarrassed in the slightest, but then I was, as I'm sure you realised, joking.

I was interested to note that the adjective "Burmese" is still in use (as per NN, anyway). A bit like the Persian Gulf, I suppose.

The Burmese form a substantial part of the population of Myanmar, but by no means all. there are also several different native tribal populations who are not “Burmese”. Hence the new name. I suppose it is vaguely similar to the UK not being called ‘England” even though the majority are English. 

[Ronaldo47]

Foreigners, especially the Americans, often use England as a synonym for the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to give it its full and somewhat cumbersome name), and it is something that clients have to be warned about when drawing up contracts. 

 

For example, in the absence of a specific definition to the contrary,  if a contract only mentions giving you  rights for England, it  doesn't cover Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland,  the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands. 

 

Likewise, Great Britain only encompasses England, Wales, and Scotland. 

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Ronaldo47
typos

[cuthound]

Photo showing how smoothly the transition from driving on the left to the right went in Stockholm on 3rd September 1967. 🤣

[Derek R.]

Looks like a Bank holiday 'lock dispute' at Bunbury . . . .

[MtB]

4 hours ago, cuthound said:

Photo showing how smoothly the transition from driving on the left to the right went in Stockholm on 3rd September 1967. 🤣

 

Reminds me of the apocryphal tale of when Dublin decided on an experiment, and made all the cars drive on the right for a month.

 

The plan was, if it was a success, they'd make the buses and lorries drive on the right too. 

 

 

[Ronaldo47]

I remember our paper showing photos of the changeover, but theirs didn't depict disorder.  It mentioned the last running of the trams and the first runs of their British-built bus replacements. I guess that solved the problem of having to re-jig the tram routes' points in the road and switches in the overhead wiring.

[Momac]

On 08/03/2022 at 10:48, Scholar Gypsy said:

 

And there's a short stretch in Cambridge where you drive on the left.  This is to allow racing eights to take the inside of this bend while rowing upstream. You can just see the keep left sign, which appears to be sprouting out of my chimney!

 

Would you keep left if you were going the other way ?

[Scholar Gypsy]

4 minutes ago, MartynG said:

 

Would you keep left if you were going the other way ?

Yes.  When boats cross over here the ones going upstream have priority over those going downstream - again the opposite to the usual situation!

[Momac]

12 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Yes.  When boats cross over here the ones going upstream have priority over those going downstream - again the opposite to the usual situation!

I thought the boats going the other way would be keeping right ?